Loss, Redemption, Life, Love
by lionheartilly
Summary: A series of SasuSaku drabbles. They will range from pre-Shippuden to post-canon (after the manga). Most will consist of Sasuke's point of view, some may have Sakura's point of view, and Sarada will play a part in some as well. They will also circle around romance, angst, emotion, love and family. Please enjoy them!
1. Chapter 1

When It's Time

Four years... it had been four years since he had stepped foot back into the streets of the Hidden Leaf. Konoha. His home. It wasn't just home because this was where he grew up. Yes, of course he felt sentimentality toward this place. It was home for so many other reasons. The once great Uchiha clan resided here until they were annhilated, and he continued to live here for years on after the massacre. He went to the academy here, studying to become a powerful shinobi. He had made friends here, grew bonds that he found out where entirely unbreakable, though he may have tried to sever those bonds, it didn't happen. After all he'd been through, all he fought through and suffered through, darkness taking him over, the curse of hatred comsuming his soul, he was brought back by his best friend, and he was forgiven. The war was over. Forgiveness was not something he truly expected from Naruto, Kakashi and of course, Sakura, after all he had put them through. It continuously weighed on his mind. Sometimes making his chest physically ache. It was home because of them, because of her.

Sasuke Uchiha had stayed an entire year in Konoha after the war. After losing his left arm to his battle with Naruto, as well as all of the other injuries he had sustained, they both needed time in the hospital to heal up and get better. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Sakura would check on them both daily, doing their vital signs, bringing them food, and when he felt strong enough, Sasuke ventured outside for a walk and saw the village appeared to be in shambles. There were so many people grieving and lost, broken and wounded, sad and emotionally traumatized. After what seemed like ages, a week or so later, as Sasuke had lost track of the time, he and Naruto were finally discharged.

Once he was out of the hospital, Sasuke spent time with his friends, working on repairing his relationships, particularly with Sakura. He also spent time helping repair damages to the village and surrounding neighborhoods that were damaged by war. He helped bury the dead, he grieved alongside the others for the loss of Konoha's people due to war. He ran errands for people who needed it, helped out those who needed help regardless of what the issue was. It could've been something as simple as needing weeds pulled, painting a fence or getting stuff down from a high place they couldn't reach.

Sasuke took the time and found food for the hungry and weak, even went so far as to fishing if that meant they could eat. He never realized how things were in such a state since his depature and return. Sasuke did everything he could in the village for others to show that he had changed, that he was back, but most people didn't seem to want to acknowledge that. They still regarded him as a criminal, no matter how hard he tried, and he was still yet to find out of he was going to punished and imprisoned for life for his crimes.

He tried hard to repent for his sins. All he wanted was forgiveness, but he questioned himself daily if he deserved it at all, and maybe he should just stop trying since nobody seemed to want to offer him forgiveness asides from his former teammates and sensei. Nevertheless he walked Sakura to work to the hospital every morning, and would walk her home each night to make sure she had gotten home safe. He even let Naruto drag him to Ichiraku's for some ramen, though the sight of watching Naruto eat bowl after bowl was thoroughly disgusting. He even paid for the meal.

Walking through town on his own, Sasuke would try to hide himself from the cold stares and harsh whispers, in a long, black cloak with a high collar that covered the bottom half of his face. He could feel the village people's eyes on him. He could hear the whispers coming from behind their hands to one another, and yet he still walked forward, nonchalant and taciturn as he could get, but it did not help him feel anymore welcome than what he knew he was. And he was't. He knew his Rinnegan unnerved many folks.

Just the other day he recalled trying to help a trio of young nin, two males and a female. One of the males had fallen out of the tree that day. They had been learning to climb trees with no hands, just as he, Sakura and Naruto had once learned in their early days of training and carefreeness. However they had been alone. No sign of Konohamaru or any other sensei was in sight.

"You alright?" Sasuke's voice startled the three young shinobi-in-training while one clutched his ankle, tears streaking through the mess on his dirty, scratched up face. "You should be more careful." The two children that sat beside their friend gasped and backed away from Sasuke as he approached to help the fallen ninja child.

"Look at his eye," the female child whispered to her friend. "It's scary." Sasuke closed his Rinnegan so it was no longer visible and felt something shift inside of him. He was scary... and he wondered if he scared these children, who else did he scare?

"Yeah. Isn't he the guy who wanted to destroy our village a long time ago anyway? That's what my mom said about him the other day," the other boy replied back to the girl. "He might hurt our friend!" Sasuke ignored the kids whispering. They were just kids after all, right? Kids had no filter, really. Still. He couldn't deny to himself that the words stung just a bit.

"Maybe we should get you over to the hospital and have Sakura take a look at that ankle," Sasuke told the sobbing child. He was rubbing his eyes with his fists and looking up at the young man. "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you weren't being so reckless," the Uchiha said with a sigh, running his only hand through his black, spiked locks. "C'mon then." He held a hand out to help the kid stand up, which caused him to screech in pain as he accidentally placed weight on the injured ankle. Sasuke sighed once more. "I can't believe I'm about to do this." He grabbed the kid by his thighs and hoisted him up on his good arm.

"HEY! YOU! LET GO OF OUR FRIEND! DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM!" The little female ninja yelled from behind Sasuke and the boy.

Sasuke rolled his mismatched eyes. "I'm taking him to the hospital. He hurt his ankle falling out of the tree. I'm not going to hurt him." _I'm not going to hurt him or anyone anymore... Why is it every single time I do anything to try and help anyone, people always stare at me and watch me? And say things like don't hurt him, don't hurt her, and..._ Sasuke's thoughts trailed off as he began walking away from the training grounds with the kid in his arm and the two younger ninja following, watching the black haired Uchiha carry the child toward the hospital. "If you're coming, let's go."

They followed curiously as Sasuke approached the hospital with the sniffling boy in tow. The two ninja children waited outside while Sasuke went inside, ignoring the looks people were giving him, especially due to the fact that he was carried a wounded child. He walked up to the reception desk right away. "Oh! Sasuke! Hello! What do you have there?" the middle-aged woman with a kind, welcoming face, at the desk greeted the Uchiha boy. She was one of the few people in Konoha who was always so kind toward him, and he couldn't help but feel a touch of gratitude for it. At least she wasn't one who eyed him suspiciously. She had taken a liking to him when he was admitted after the war, and since then, she had always greeted him with kindness when he'd stop in to visit Sakura. Today was no exception.

"Kids out playing on the training grounds and this one hurt himself. Can you possibly get Sakura for me?" he explained to the woman.

"Of course!" She picked up the reception phone and called for Sakura to come to the front desk. "Sakura? Yes! Sasuke is here at the hospital. He's at the front desk waiting for you." She hung the phone up, and within moments the pink-haired konoichi was rushing forward toward Sasuke.

"Oh! Sasuke! What are you-," Sakura paused as she stopped in front of him, and her eyes fell on the boy Sasuke was holding. "Oh my goodness, what happened here?"

"This one fell out of a tree trying to climb it using no hands. I think he did something to his ankle," Sasuke attempted to explain.

"Go ahead and bring him back here," Sakura stated, walking into an empty room. "I'll take a look at him here." Sasuke obliged and carried the boy into the hospital room and carefully sat him down on the bed. He stepped back out of the medical ninja's way as she began to work on healing the small child. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and watched the kunoichi work. Sakura's way with children and people never ceased to amaze him, and yet, he wondered how he could deserve someone so pure, gentle and filled with kindness, loving someone like him the way that she did, and he always knew it. As he watched her with the child, Sasuke made a decision right then and there. He was tired of the staring and the whispers and the rumors. He didn't want to come across as scary. He knew his Rinnegan unsettled the people of Konoha. Hell his very presence unsettled them. It wasn't difficult to see right through that with the way people treated him, no matter how hard he had tried.

After Sakura was finished with the child, she contacted his parents and soon the boy was on his way home with a newly healed ankle, and a gentle but firm lecture from Sakura about chakra control and to not try anything reckless again without their sensei nearby, but not before the boy whispered a shy 'thank you for helping me' to Sasuke, surprising the Uchiha. Sasuke had stood and watched her the entire time, unable to take his eyes off of her, and a wave of sadness washed over him that he did not allow anyone to see. He was going to tell her that he was leaving. It was time. The war had been over for a year and people still looked at him as an international criminal who might snap at any moment and attack them all. He needed a journey of redemption. He needed to see the world with new eyes. Though there was one problem. How was he going to tell Sakura? Things were going so well between them. They were getting closer little by little.

Sasuke could sense his own feelings for this girl growing and changing over the course of this past year. In truth, he'd always had feelings for Sakura. Even when he was at his lowest moment, lost in the depth of darkness, he attempted to attack her, but he could not kill her. Something always held him back, and yet now he finally understood why. He was broken from that curse of hatred now, and he could see the people whom he had built bonds with now more clearly than ever. Kakashi was almost like a fatherly figure to him. Even after everything he'd done and been through, Kakashi still regarded him as his student. He remembered sitting and listening to the long lecture Kakashi had given him after the war. He remembered Kakashi reaching his arm out to place around Sasuke, letting him know he forgave him after the lecture, and nothing more was spoken about it. Much like a father would have done.

The young Uchiha man found that he cared for Naruto like a brother and Naruto cared for him the same way. There was room in his heart to care for someone else as dearly as he cared for Itachi, but with Sakura, it was a whole other sensation. It was a different kind of feeling, something he may have began experiencing at one point in his life, but it had all fallen apart. Now it was growing, blossoming inside of him. Perhaps this is the same way his mother may have felt about his father, or perhaps the way his old acquaintence, Ino Yamanaka, felt about Sai, considering how much their relationship had grown over the past year after the war. He had even caught peeks of them hiding behind buildings, trees, boxes, and even trashcans to steal kisses, and he absentmindedly found himself thinking of he and Sakura doing the same.

And even though he sometimes pictured himself doing things like this with Sakura, he couldn't allow it. Simply because he felt he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve deep affections to be shown like this to him from her. Not yet. He needed to go on this journey. He needed to redeem himself. He would start with visiting the Kazekage's village, the Village Hidden in the Sand. He felt he needed to personally apologize to Gaara for everything that had happened, not just because it was necessary, but because Gaara and Naruto were friends. It was also out of respect for the person he considered to be his best friend. Even though the blond drove him nuts sometimes, he couldn't help but still enjoy the knucklehead's company.

"Sakura," Sasuke began as the rose-haired girl cleaned up after the boy had left the hospital. "Meet me at the bench after you get off of work. You know which one I'm referring to. There's something we need to talk about."

"Wha- Sasuke? What's this all about? What's going on!" came the girl's voice from behind him, but Sasuke was already making his way out of the hospital. He needed to get away. He needed time to think. It was going to be hard enough telling her that he was going to leave, and that this was something he needed to do for himself so he _could _come back and he could start a real future with her, a real relationship, but now? It just wasn't possible, no matter how much he longed for it to be, it just wasn't. And he knew Sakura. He knew how she'd react. She'd probably cry. It was always him who made her cry. Always. It was always his fault, but it wasn't like it was something he did on purpose. Though, regardless, it still made him feel guilty.

Sasuke approached the bench, that bench. The one he'd left Sakura on the night he left the village all those years ago. He sat down and ran his only hand down his face, trying to come up with the right words to tell her, when before he knew it, he could hear the 'tap tap tap' of her foosteps approaching. She seated herself quietly next to him. "Well? I'm here. You said you wanted to talk to me about something," her voice was soft, hands planted against the bench as she stared down at her feet. "So, what's this all about? Are you going to tell me now?"

Sasuke turned and looked at the pink haired kunoichi and he felt something shift inside of him. Sakura had always been his weakness, and even now she was making this harder than he thought possible. Here he thought he had it all worked out exactly what he had planned to tell her, and now he was at a loss for words. "Sakura. I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, or how to even really bring it up, so I..."

"You're leaving," Sakura stated knowingly. No change in her tone whatsoever, but those brilliant, emerald eyes were now turned on him. "That's why you wanted to meet me here at this bench, right? It's the same place you left before."

"I... yeah. I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning though, but I felt I needed to tell you before I left. There are just some things I have to do. Something that's really important to me, but I promise you, I _will _be back," he told her, staring right back at her with his mismatched eyes. He was grateful to see that there were no tears in her eyes. In fact, there seemed to be a fierce understanding, which shocked him.

"I understand, Sasuke," Sakura told him in barely above a whisper, and she reached one hand out to lay it on top of his own, casting her gaze downward. "Go do what you need to do, just... don't leave without saying goodbye, okay?" Her eyes glanced up at his once more, and while they were filled with emotion, he was relieved to see that there were no tears. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. He was grateful, appreciative that Sakura could understand why he needed to do this. It showed just how much she had grown over the years. Instead of screaming at him not to go, she accepted that he needed to go.

"Will you wait for me?" he asked her, flipping his hand over to clasp ahold of her fingers in his own. "Please, Sakura?"

"That's all I've ever done is wait for you, Sasuke. For years, I never gave up hope. I never stopped waiting, and I won't stop now. I never... stopped loving you," Sakura admitted, turning her head away from his to stare back down at her knees and Sasuke's heart lept into his throat. "I just wish things were different. I just wish we could be together now."

"Sakura. There are things I need to do before I can take that next step with you. If you wait for me, when I get home, things will be different. I just have a lot of stuff to figure out first, stuff about me. I have things I need to see, things I need to do. I can't really explain it myself, but it's a journey of redemption. I have to cleanse myself. I have to fix the wrongs I have done, not only to others but to myself," he attempted to explain and squeezed her hand a little tighter. "Things haven't changed between you and I, but when I get home, they'll get better."

"I believe you, Sasuke and I believe in you. I'll wait for you. I promise I will. Before you go tomorrow, your arm should be ready, so meet me in front of the hospital," Sakura released his hand and unlaced her fingers from his own. He watched her as she stood up from the bench and smiled down at him, but he could tell the smile was forced, and his heart clenched in his chest. "We'll say a proper goodbye tomorrow. Until then, goodnight, Sasuke."

And with that, the female medical ninja was walking away from him. He watched her back until it disappeared in the darkness of the night that had fallen over him. And now he felt ready. Ready to go and see the world with new eyes, with new impression and continue to brighten this new path he had taken with not darkness, but light, by seeking forgiveness and finding redemption.

~End


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This is my take on the spoilers from the Sakura Hiden novel. I just wanted to have some fun playing with ideas on how Sasuke learned the news that his precious Sakura was being threatened. Please enjoy!

* * *

Coming Together

_Sakura! _His sandaled feet raced across the grounds, the mountain of the great Hokage coming slowly into view, the buildings of the village surrounding it. A heavy mist seemed to hanging over the village, and he felt an overwhelming sensation of impending danger just ahead...

_Earlier that day..._

Sasuke Uchiha had overheard people talking about an attack on the Leaf. He had already knew it had happened as Kakashi had sent his ninja hound, Pakkun, Sasuke's way to warn him of not only the imminent threat on the village, but that someone had been impersonating him. He ignored his name coming up among the people in the town he was currently visiting as they discussed the attack on the Hidden Leaf. _You idiots... I'm standing right here in your damn town, and have done nothing but help some of you. But is my name not good enough to spread when I do something good? _Sasuke had dismissed Pakkun's warning, and sent the message back to Kakashi through Pakkun short and sweet. "You know it's not me. What's happening in the village is not my business. You are perfectly capable of handling this on your own."

It may have came across cold on his part, but that simply wasn't the case. Though Sasuke had never been particularly fantastic about voicing what he really thought with words. It always came across wrong, especially recently. Without thoughts of revenge clouding him, it was different now and he was still attempting to find himself. He had hoped that Kakashi, now the Hokage of Konoha, would understand this though. Kakashi had always been able to understand his former student, and Sasuke knew the feelings of fatherly affection he carried for him. Not only that, but Sasuke knew from the bottom of his heart that village could handle any threat because Naruto was there. Hinata was there. Sakura was there and Kakashi was the Hokage. There were enough strong, powerful shinobi there to protect the village and that was sufficient enough. They did not need him.

He would never admit it though, but he felt a warmness in his heart that all of his friends back in the village didn't for one second believe that it was actually Sasuke threatening the village. They had faith in him, and that alone was good enough for him. His problem was, was that he was just too aloof to the situation. He could think of exactly what he wanted to say, and it would still come out all wrong. Though it would also just be a waste of time saying "You guys know that is not me. I have nothing to prove. It's just some pathetic little waste of space trying to stir up trouble and hold me responsible. In other words, I have faith in you guys to handle all of these problems happening yourselves." And that was truly how he felt. The Hokage and his friends believed in him, knew it wasn't him, and so he believed in them as well. He didn't need to go help.

Until Pakkun was back delivering another message to Sasuke from the Hokage. The enemy impersonating him, who had been buying weapons and tossing a threat on the village, had kidnapped Sakura. He and the enemy ANBU that worked for him. The moment Sasuke heard that Sakura's life was in danger, he dropped everything and rushed back to the village as fast his legs would carry him. He lept through the trees, the cloth of the deep purple turban wrapped around his spiky head flapping behind him, his long, tattered cloak trailing in the wind as they took massive leaps across the branches.

"Sasuke. I need to explain the situation to you," Pakkun began as the two rushed toward the village. "From the information we gathered, we learned this man goes by the name Kido," the hound explained. "He is impersonating you, buying weapons and attacking the village. He's doing this to lure you out and back to the village so he can attack you."

"Why would he want to attack me, and what would be the point in luring me back to a village that is perfectly capable of taking care of itself?" Sasuke inquired, the irritation clear in his tone. "What does this have to do with Sakura?"

"I'm getting to that," Pakkun drawled. "He has a group of enemy ANBU black ops working for him. They've kidnapped Sakura because attacking the village wasn't enough to bring you back. They knew that if they went right for the source you'd be coming back. Kido's plan is to kill Sakura right in front of your eyes."

"Wha- Kill her!? How-," Sasuke was incredulous. He couldn't get the rest of the words out, his mismatched eyes widening as he stared down at the ninken at his side. _Kill Sakura? Are they kidding? _Sasuke picked up speed.

"Slow down, kid! I'm not finished yet," Pakku took a heavy jump and landed on Sasuke's shoulder, but the Uchiha did not slow down. "They're blaming you for this and in turn it's forcing all of the Kage to investigate this case. Clearly the Hokage has already learned and confirmed it's not you. Nevertheless, this Kido guy is out for blood, and not just any blood. Your blood. Kido knows of your Sharingan. He knows you're an Uchiha, and he believes that if he were to kill Sakura in front of you or if you were to find Sakura dead, this would increase the ability of your Sharingan. He wants to kill you after killing her so he can take your blood and your eyes. Kido is out for nothing but money. He wants to create some sort of medicine and sell it for money."

"Medicine? My eyes? What the hell? My Sharingan isn't going to advance anymore than what it already is. Killing Sakura in front of me wouldn't change a thing about my Sharingan," Sasuke replied, glancing at the nin hound perched on his shoulder. "What kind of medicine could they even make with my eyes anyway?"

"We're not sure exactly," Pakkun replied. "The most news we've gathered about this medicine that he could create using the power of your Sharingan and your Uchiha blood gives the user the power to that of a jinchūriki."

"Are you kidding me?" Sasuke gasped. "How could my blood and my eyes alone give that sort of power?"

"Fraid not, kid, and don't underestimate that. Not only do you possess the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in your right eye, but the Rinnegan in your left. If someone is skilled enough creating medicine from abilities such as yours mixed with chemistry, well..." Pakkun sighed and if possible Sasuke picked up more speed.

"Well I guarantee you this. If anyone lays a hand on Sakura in way, shape or form, I won't be the one dying," Sasuke responded darkly, his sharp eyes narrowed forward.

"Don't be reckless," the ninken warned Sasuke. "We're almost there."

And now he was seeing the village. Sasuke could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage, rattling his entire chest cavity and his anxiety level was through the roof the closer they got. "Shinobi from the Leaf have already been dispatched to search for Sakura, so they are out there trying to find her," Pakkun told Sasuke, as they had finally made it to the entrance. "Go on inside, kid. I need to report back to Kakashi." And with that, Pakkun disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sasuke entered the village at a run, not showing any signs of slowing. The streets were too quiet. People must have burrowed themselves in their homes, or they were out fighting.

Just ahead he could see a group of people, and it wasn't difficult to tell that they were ANBU judging by their clothing and masks, but they appeared different from the Leaf's ANBU. Sasuke felt fury rise into his throat, as opened he his right eye, revealing his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and a jet of black flames shot out right toward them.

"THAT'S!" one of the ANBU shouted at the other team members as they dodged Amaterasu's attack, but the flames landed on two of the members who began screaming and ripping the sleeves off their clothes so as not to be burnt by the everlasting flames.

"SASUKE UCHIHA!" another one answered.

The ANBU team scattered, throwing kunai and shuriken towards Sasuke in all various directions. He withdrew his kusanagi sword and deflected all attacks coming from each location. They all came charging toward him, Sasuke estimated about seven of them, and he was ready. With ease, he took down each one. _These are supposed to be elite Black Ops? How pathetic. _Though Sasuke was using a bit more force, he managed to take down most of them with taijutsu, and the basic Uchiha fire ball jutsu and dragon flame jutsu. He made short work of the ANBU, but not before grabbing one by the shirt and holding him up with just one hand.

"Tell me. Now. Where did Kido take Sakura?" he made sure both of his mismatched eyes stared sharply into the ANBU member's broken mask. "Tell me now and I won't have to kill you."

"H-h-he's got her outside of the village somewhere. We're not sure exactly where. Please don't kill me! I swear that's all we know!" the enemy ANBU whimpered, and Sasuke threw him aside like an old dishrag.

_Outside of the village, hmmm... I'll find you, Sakura. Don't worry. I'm not going to let you get killed. _Sasuke never noticed that just as he left, Hinata, Naruto, Rock Lee, Shikmaru and the others were on their way as well. He never knew that Hinata had used Byakugan and discovered that he had been there earlier and had made short work of the enemy calling themselves ANBU. His mind was too focused on finding Sakura. Just as Sasuke had arrived on the outskirts of town, he was ambushed himself, but by someone he least expected.

"Kakashi!? What?" Sasuke stammered was he was grabbed by Kakashi and pulled over to the trees. "Sakura is-," but he was cut off by Kakashi.

"So you came back to the village the moment you learned Sakura's life was in danger. Right?" Kakashi grinned knowingly underneath his mask, his one visible eye squeezing shut, and it irritated the young Uchiha.

"Yeah, I came back for her. Of course I would, but if we don't hurry now, Sakura will-," and Kakashi interrupted yet again.

"Sakura is safe," Kakashi told him calmly. Sasuke stop struggling and just stared in disbelief, unable to register what the Hokage had just told him. "Sakura managed to take care of her captors all on her own. Kido and the others have been seized and are going to be imprisoned for their attack and impersonation. And I've seen that you made short work of the enemy ANBU. So you have nothing to worry about."

"She handled it on her own?" Sasuke questioned. "Sakura?"

"While her love for you hasn't changed, she's not the damsel in distress she used to be. Sakura has gotten stronger. She's easily the strongest kunoichi in the village, even surpassing her own master," Kakashi explained to the confused young Uchiha.

_Her love for me... what made you so strong, Sakura? _Sasuke couldn't help but feel a sense of pride well up inside of him. Sakura had grown strong. Strong enough to take down the men that had kidnapped her. At the same time, he felt a little silly rushing back to the village to help her when in truth, she didn't need his help at all.

"It's good that you're back now though," Kakashi added. "Why don't you come with me and we'll go find Sakura just to make sure she's alright and not wounded after her battle." Sasuke nodded his head in agreement and followed Kakashi through town. People were starting to come back out into the streets one more, and out of nowhere one man shouted out , startling Sasuke.

"It's Sasuke Uchiha!" he stated the young man's name as though he were something to be undesired.

"I knew it! I knew he was back to attack the village!" another one exclaimed.

"The rumors were true! He never changed!" claimed another member.

"The Hokage has him in custody so we're safe!"

"THAT IS ENOUGH," Kakashi's voice overpowered the yell of the villagers, and they all seemed to cower in front of the Hokage. "This man is not responsible for what happened here today. The person responsible for attacking this village has already been taken into custody. Sasuke Uchiha is completely innocent. The enemy wanted to lure him out by using Sakura Haruno to their advantage. Sasuke came back for Sakura and no one else. They wanted to lure Sasuke back to the village so that they could kill him and steal his eyes. He has done no wrong. Sasuke is a member of the Hidden Leaf Village just as much as you all are and he deserves be treated as such. I will not hear anymore word of anyone threatening or badmouthing this young man. Is that understood?" Kakashi as the Hokage, standing tall, protecting his former student from people rejecting him for something that wasn't even his fault was very moving for the young Uchiha.

"Kakashi, it's alright. They're not-" Sasuke began to say, but the Hokage held a hand up that silenced the young man next to him.

"No it's not alright. You've already been pardoned and I will not have the village looking down on you," Kakashi stayed firm. "Now everyone go back to what you were doing. Leave the rest of this to myself and to Sasuke, here."

Everyone backed down at Kakashi's words, mumbling apologies of "Lord Hokage" and they moved on, going about their business as Kakashi had ordered. It had stunned Sasuke once more into silence, and he followed his former sensei through the village, doing his best to ignore the stares he could feel piercing through his back.

"Now, last I had heard, Sakura was at the bridge. Why don't you go on ahead and find her? I have to attend to the issues at hand," Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and he looked at his former sensei with his mismatched eyes. His Sharingan had returned to his normal onyx eye, while his Rinnegan, deep purple and lined remained. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Kakashi encouraged the younger man in front of him.

"...thank you, Kakashi," Sasuke thanked the silver haired man quietly. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was truly grateful for the way Kakashi had stood up for him back there against the hate coming from the villagers and Sasuke thought back. _This must have been how Naruto felt when the entire village shunned him for being a jinchūriki... but they shun me for reasons much worse than that... _

"Hmm," Kakashi smiled once more, his face still hidden by his mask. "Well, I'll see you later then!" And Kakashi disappeared with a wave of his hand, just as Pakkun had earlier, in a cloud of white smoke.

The sound of thunder rolled through the sky above him and Sasuke peered upward, watching the dark clouds forming. It was about to storm. He'd better find Sakura fast. Even though she'd managed to handle everything on her own, he still needed to see her. Just to be sure that she was alright, and that they didn't do anything to harm her. So he began to walk toward the bridge. The closer he got, he could see a figure standing just next to it, her elbows resting on it, hands folded. Her pink hair was blowing back from her face in the breeze of an impending storm, the red of her skirt rippling against her legs. He could see she had put up quite the fight. Sakura's face was marred with scratches, brusing and dirt. Her skirt was ripped, and one of her armbands had been half torn off.

Sasuke had to suppress the urge to run to her. Instead he walked slowly her way. Sakura raised her head, eyes closed and then turned it right toward Sasuke's direction. He watched her emerald green orbs widen in shock, glistening with disbelief. The closer he got, the more he could see dried up blood on her as well, and he wondered if that was her blood or their blood. Sasuke and Sakura's eyes met, and there was a moment of silence before Sakura gave him a warm smile.

"Welcome back, Sasuke," she stated as he walked closer and closer. He could tell she was tired from her fight, but still standing strong and tall as the most powerful kunoichi in the village of Konoha and his sense of pride in her grew ever stronger. He was just a few feet away from her, his eyes piercing into her own.

"I'm home, Sakura." And there was nothing more to say. He was home. Sakura was his home. Nothing more, nothing less. He had come back for her, and he was with her again. Nothing else mattered anymore than this very moment. He was a man of little words, but his drive to rush home the moment that Sakura was in danger was enough to openly show his feelings without words. It didn't take much. And then out of nowhere, Sakura was running toward him, her arms outstretched and threw herself into Sasuke, arms slung around his shoulders, one hand pressing firmly to the back of his neck, the other digging into his back as she attempted to hold him as close as possible. He was stunned at first, stiffening up, not expecting this sort of reaction from her, but he relaxed in her hold and he wrapped his arms around her, returning her embrace, his prosthetic hand tangled in her pink hair.

"I wanted you to come and save me, when they first kidnapped me. I even waited for you, but then I told myself, how would you know I was even kidnapped? I told myself that just because I was kidnapped, doesn't mean that Sasuke would come back. I... I had to be strong for myself. I had to fight back, and I did." She explained, her voice trembling.

"Hn, you did, and it looks like you got beat up in the process," Sasuke replied as he broke their embrace and he took Sakura's chin in his hand, looking over each inch of her face. "Why haven't you healed yourself yet?"

"I don't know. I just needed to take some time to reflect on what had happened to me, and then I found you here, and... are you really back for good this time, Sasuke?" Sakura peeked up at him shyly, almost as if she were afraid of his answer.

Was he? "Sakura. Are you sure this is what you want? Do you want me to stay here for good?" He wasn't sure why he was asking her this, but it was just something he needed to hear with his own ears.

"Of course I do, Sasuke! What kind of question is that?" Sakura raised an eyebrow looking at him, and another roll of thunder trembled the ground underneath them. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura paid it any mind.

"Everyone in the village still looks at me as an international criminal. This is why I've only been back a couple of times now. When I got back this time, they were convinced that I was going to attack the village. Kakashi... told them otherwise, but Sakura. You must understand what you could be getting yourself into if this is what you really want with me," he reached his hands out to place them on her shoulders. "

"I don't understand what you're getting at, Sasuke. If Kakashi stopped the villagers and told them that you weren't the one to blame, then everything should be okay now, right?" Sakura inquired, staring into his mismatched eyes, and Sasuke felt his knees shaking.

"Sakura. If we do this, you risk losing the respect and admiration of everyone in the village. What they will see is you have hooked up with an international criminal. They could even begin to shun you, whisper about you behind your back, and stare at you like you're some kind of evil vermin that entered their village and should be destroyed," Sasuke couldn't hold his tongue. But he was concerned for Sakura's well being in the village. She had gained quite a momento, a name for herself, what with creating the clinic for the children ravaged by war, becoming the most powerful medical ninja and kunoichi in the entire village, and even surpassing that of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade, her master. The first few drops of rain made their presence known as they fell from the sky.

"Sasuke, none of that matters to me! Don't you understand? You're all that matters. This is all I have ever wanted. Let people talk. I'll prove them wrong. I'll prove them all wrong, but please. Sasuke. Please don't come back to me just to say you're leaving again, because if you are, I don't think I could handle it this time." Sakura's voice broke with oncoming tears. "Please, please don't do it again."

Sasuke stared at her, his expression blank, and Sakura took this as her answer. She made to turn her back toward Sasuke, the rain pouring down hard now over the both of them. Sakura made her first few steps away from him when Sasuke reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. "Sakura." He tugged her hard, whirling her around to face him and pulled the pink haired kunoichi into him, their bodies thoroughly soaked from the downpour pressing against one another. Sasuke raised his hand, brushing back the wet strands of pink sticking to Sakura's face behind her ear and cupped her cheek. He placed his other hand against the side of her face, his thumb barely brushing the side of her lip and without warning, he leaned in and kissed her.

Sakura was shocked, her eyes wide as Sasuke's lips met her own. He felt Sakura's body tense up for a moment, before she closed her eyes, warm tears mixing in with the cool, falling rain and she fell into him, lips caressing one another, his tongue gently prodding them for entrance, and the two became intertwined in each other. Sakura reached up and pulled the purple turban off of Sasuke's head so she could tangle her hands into his dripping wet black locks. His own hands held the sides of her face gently as their lips moved in perfect motion with one another, and he had his answer. This was home. She was his home. As long as Sakura was here, this would always be his home.


	3. Chapter 3

The First Time She Saw

It was only a couple of days after the war had ended. The blood loss, exhaustion and wounds had finally caught up to both Sasuke Uchiha and his teammate Naruto Uzumaki. Fortunately, they had separate rooms so they could focus on healing peacefully, recoop and recount what all had happened throughout the course of the war. Naruto had stayed true to his resolve, and was grateful and happy that his best friend had been pulled out of the depth of darkness, and that his curse had been broken after all those years of grief and suffering.

Sasuke had laid in bed, listening to Naruto gush about this to Kakashi, Sakura, Hinata, whoever would listen really and he could feel his shame and remorse grow. He tried to get annoyed about it, rolling his eyes and plugging his ears, but that didn't work. He tried to get angry, but there was nothing inside of him left to give to anger, so that didn't work either. Finally, he let the remorse take him. He pulled the curtains shut on his open window, turned the lights down dim in his room, so he was enveloped in total blackness, and rolled over onto his side, burying his face in his pillow, trying to ignore Naruto's voice in just the other room over. Did he really have to sit there and talk about it to whoever would listen? This wasn't something Sasuke really felt like hearing over and over again. He already felt terrible enough as it was.

A few hours later, there was a knock on his door, and in stepped none other than his former sensei, Kakashi Hatake. He was dressed in his normal, jounin attire, looking as normal as ever, with his forehead protector pulled down over one eye, that was formally a Sharingan, and now just scarred, with trademark mask covering the lower half of his face like usual. His spiked, silver hair hung down over the front of his headband. The same old Kakashi. Sasuke slowly pushed himself up into bed with his one arm, his mismatched eyes, one onyx and one Rinnegan, glancing upward at the silver haired man standing tall with his arms folded, gazing down at his former student.

"How are you feeling today?" was Kakashi's first question, but the way the older man was looking at the younger man below him felt scrutinizing. Kakashi was definitely up to something because Sasuke was having that familiar feeling. He shrugged his shoulders, his blanket pulled up to hide what remained of his left arm. "Listen, Sasuke. We need to talk about things, and I know that you're still in recovery, but I think now is the best time to do this before it's too late." Kakashi sighed and pulled up a chair, seating himself next to the Uchiha's bed. "I hope you understand the weight of the situation at hand here."

"The weight?" Sasuke questioned, turning his head and staring down at his one hand which lay listlessly in his lap and he was surprised at how lethargic he sounded.

"The gravity of the situation, Sasuke," Kakashi began gravely. "The war is over, yes, but people aren't ready to be so forgiving because of certain things that you have done."

Sasuke's heart began pounding with anxiety against his ribcage. "I know this already," he responded, his voice masking the anxiousness he felt. No spark, no fight nothing resounded from within him.

"Sasuke, at the risk of sounding horribly harsh here, you did some terrible things. Attacking the Five Kage Summit was unforgivable in the eyes of the Kage. Lord Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage are not read to be so forgiving. Obviously, you will have our support as best as the Leaf can give you as you did have a huge hand in dispelling the Infinite Tsukuyomi. If it weren't for you, then the world would still be trapped in a dream," Kakashi stated knowingly. Sasuke just stared, not responding. He gave Kakashi the silent go-ahead to continue. "However, getting back to the Kage, perhaps the Kazekage will be forgiving toward you, considering he is close friends with Naruto. The Mizukage may be more forgiving as well. That all depends on her outlook and decision, but you are still seen as an international criminal in the eyes of many people," Kakashi explained.

"I know, Kakashi," Sasuke sighed, leaning back against the headboard of his hospital bed. "Do you think that I don't understand all of this already? Do you think I haven't thought things through since everything happened? I know what I did was wrong. I know what I did was inexcusable."

"I'm sure that you have. I'm not saying that you haven't, but that you need to be careful. You need to not leave the village anytime soon. People from all over may be out looking for you and we can't risk you putting your life on the line as a result. Sasuke, there is also an imminent possibility that you may not be pardoned for your actions before the war, and after the war you attacked Naruto. Naruto is seen as the village's hero, and you two fought so hard to the point you both lost an arm. Now, Naruto may have forgiven you, and may still call you his best friend, but that doesn't mean that everyone else will. There is possibility of a trial as well."

"Kakashi, please," Sasuke pleaded and inwardly cringed at how pathetic his voice sounded.

"Sasuke, I want to ask you a question," Kakashi continued ignoring his former student's plea, his eyes straight on the ebony haired Uchiha boy, not moving from him once. "And be straight with me." Sasuke turned his head and stared back at his former sensei through his black bangs, hanging down between his mismatched eyes. "What on earth were you thinking? What drove you to want to attack and kill your best friend? What drove you to want to think you had to kill the five Kage? What did you honestly think you were going to accomplish by steeping yourself into darkness and hatred and starting a revolution?"

Sasuke sighed and dropped his head, running his only hand through his black, spiky locks. He was exhausted, and the last thing he felt like doing was talking, but if he didn't started talking now, Kakashi was going to drill him until he did. He knew how his former sensei was. "My clan," Sasuke began, unsettled. "My clan was cursed. It's a curse that stemmed back clear from the days Indra was alive. He was the Uchiha's forefather. The Uchiha was a clan that loved so much and so hard, more than anyone, that if we experienced loss, our love turned to hatred, it was consumed by it. That night when Itachi slew my entire clan, my love for my brother turned into a burning hatred that I couldn't resolve, no matter how hard I tried. I tried to build a family with you and Naruto and Sakura. With Team 7, but I couldn't. Itachi was always coming to the surface." Sasuke rubbed his hand down his face as his heart clenched painfully in his chest just from saying his older brother's name.

The dark haired young man closed his disparate eyes. "When I learned the truth about Itachi's sacrifice, my grief turned into despair and my despair turned into a lust of hatred and darkness. I was ready to give myself entirely to the darkness, because that is what Itachi did." Sasuke raised his head and stared hard into Kakashi's eyes. "Itachi gave up his whole life for me and for the village. Itachi suffered because of the evil and the darker side of the Leaf. Everyone hated Itachi. Everyone regarded him as a criminal. I wanted that too. I wanted to take on everyone's hatred and change this shinobi world so the things that happened to Itachi and to my clan wouldn't happen again, but I realize now that my ideal was wrong, because the curse of hatred had such a powerful hold on me, it nearly destroyed me and I nearly destroyed my friendships and my bonds. When Naruto and I had our final battle, it made me open my eyes to everything around me. It made me realize what was important and that wasn't carrying the burden of everyone's hatred."

Sasuke turned his ebony head away from his former sensei and looked up at the ceiling of his dark hospital room. "Naruto showed me that I wasn't alone. He showed me that I wasn't the only one who felt pain. He showed me that it was okay to hurt for one another. He made me realize that my feelings were similar to that of a brother when it came to him. Naruto is the one who pulled me out of the darkness. Naruto is the one who broke me free from the curse of hatred that my clan has suffered from since the day it was initiated."

Kakashi sighed, running a hand through his own silver locks of hair as though in thought of how he wanted to respond. "You say that you wanted to take on the same burdens that Itachi took on when he was alive," Kakashi began, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes. "Sasuke, do you believe for a moment that forming a revolution and you completely losing yourself to darkness, becoming the ultimate villain of the shinobi world, is what your brother would have wanted for you?" Sasuke didn't answer. He inclined his head in the direction of the curtains, slightly rippling from the breeze outside of his opened window. "You and Naruto both went to such extremes that you blew off each other's arm. It was because of your impulsiveness, Sasuke. Don't you understand that? And what if something like this happens again-," Kakashi continued, lecturing his former student, and Sasuke interrupted.

"I have no more intentions on harming anyone. I don't plan on attacking or hurting anyone anymore. I don't want anyone to feel pain the way I and Naruto have. I don't wish loss or loneliness on anyone the way I used to. I don't want anyone to feel starved for love and attention. I know I was impulsive. I know I was wrong..." Sasuke's voice began to waver as his resolve slowly was starting to fail. He whirled around, his eyes wide with a mixture of remorse and despair. His breathing heavy. "I'm aware we both lost an arm because of me! I know that I was impulsive and that I was wrong! I know that all of this is all my fault!"

Sasuke was surprised by his own outburst, and he didn't realize that had swung his legs over the edge of the bed and was now inches away from Kakashi's face, as if he were almost desperate to make him realize that he understood everything the jounin had been telling him, and to just please stop bringing it up, but he couldn't bring himself to stay that. Sasuke clenched his teeth and turned his head away from Kakashi, his throat tight.

"Sasuke, listen to me," Kakashi's voice, surprisingly gentle, spoke back up and he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I understand what you feel. I understand the weight that grief and loss can put on a person. I know what the tragedy of the loss of your clan, the realization of what they were and what the loss of your older brother did to you. I know what it was put you through. I've been through something very similar, so I understand fully what you feel. I also understand that you just wanted to put yourself in Itachi's place. I know you felt the need to do that for the sake of your brother, to feel the hatred that Itachi could feel coming from everyone when he was alive. To be judged harshly by being in the Akatasuki, even though now we know why he was there, but still."

Kakashi scooted his chair closer and wrapped one arm tightly around the young Uchiha and pulled him close. Sasuke immediately stiffened at the contact, completely stunned by the unexpected hug he was now receiving from his former sensei. "Itachi loved you. There was no doubt about that. He'll always love you, no matter what you do, but I don't think Itachi would have wanted something like that for you. None of us did," Kakashi explained, and Sasuke began to relax into Kakashi's hold. It had been a long long time since he'd been held by an adult, lectured and comforted by parent, and to him, Kakashi felt almost like... "I'm just happy you're back, Sasuke. We're all happy, but me especially. I don't think I ever told you this, but I've always viewed you like the son I never had. Even after everything, I still do."

The sincere honesty in Kakashi's voice was overwhelming, and Sasuke gasped at the man's words, his eyes wide, trembling. He allowed himself to completely leaned into Kakashi's hold, letting his head rest on the older man's shoulder, fighting back the feeling unrelenting tears creeping up behind his eyes. Kakashi chuckled and patted Sasuke's back. "Maybe that's why I felt the need to lecture you so harshly." Sasuke couldn't respond. He was afraid if he tried to speak, he'd lose his composure. Instead, he just closed his eyes, willing his emotions to just disappear at least for the moment. At least until Kakashi left.

Kakashi pulled back from his student, placing hands on both his shoulders, looking the boy in the face. "Listen to me, Sasuke," the jounin began, and Sasuke unwillingly opened his watering eyes, but Kakashi did not break his gaze. It held honest and true in his small, black eyes. "I forgive you. Just like Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, Sai and all the others have, I forgive you. I'll make sure that I can do whatever it takes to make for certain that you are not imprisoned for life for the crimes you have committed."

Sasuke just nodded his head in response, his teeth clenching, his jaw shifting, as Kakashi released his grip from the younger man's shoulders. "Well then. I'll let you get some rest now. I have some work that needs done anyway. Sakura should be in later to do your vital check. Get some sleep, and remember this, your past is your past. All we can do is move forward and focus on what lies ahead of us, not behind us." Kakashi gave Sasuke his signature smile from behind that mask, gave his former student a wave and walked out of the hospital room.

Sasuke fell back onto his pillows, feeling the strength to stay upright sapped from his entire body as the weight of everything Kakashi had just spoken to him came crashing down like a massive anvil. He stared up at the ceiling, the lights dimmed enough so he could still see the room, and his throat tightened, his heart clenched, and his nose burned. His vision became increasingly distorted until he could no longer see the surroundings of his hospital room, and Sasuke placed his wrist over his eyes, gritting his teeth against the heaviness in his chest, longing to burst forth.

Sasuke found that he couldn't hold it back, try as he might, and he let out a quiet sob, his resolve broken, and the tears leaked out from underneath his wrist, down both sides of his face. He tried to control his cries, not letting them get loud and his chest heaved with each one. He knew what he'd done. He knew the price he'd most likely have to pay for it, but he also knew that he wasn't alone and that he had people here who cared for him. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei.

The knowledge of it all fell hard and fast on the young Uchiha man. He let the truth sink in, the sad understanding of everything that had happened, from the time he lost Itachi, up til now and it broke him harder than ever. What had he done? What had happened all this time? And the terrible things that his clan had done? The enemy was his own clan, his own family. Now it was all over, and Kakashi forgave him. Kakashi said he looked at him like a father would his own son, right? He had heard right, hadn't he? And at this realization of everything, he took a shock to his system.

There was a gentle knock on his door, and Sasuke ignored it, turning his head away from the door. "Sasuke?" came a familiar female voice and he felt his heart leap into his throat, followed by more intense pressure. _Sakura... _and as soon as he heard her voice, he wanted her near. He wanted her next to him. He wanted her to just hold onto him and never let go. He didn't want to feel alone, he didn't want to feel afraid, he didn't want to be overwhelmed by remorse, but at the same time, he didn't want to Sakura to see him this way. She had never seen his composure completely crumbled, cracked and broken, shattered like precious glass.

Sasuke listened as Sakura walked inside of the room, and she approached his bed. The gentle tapping of her feet, walked around it, and she pulled back the curtains just enough so she could see him. Sasuke felt the warmth of the outside sunlight touch his face, and he let out another shuddering sob. He heard Sakura gasp and within moments knowing she'd most likely seen him and definitely heard him. The side of his bed sunk down with her weight. He listened as he heard her lay his clipboard and chart on the chair that Kakashi had previously been sitting in.

"Sasuke?" Sakura murmured his name once more, her voice filled with sympathy and with soft surprise. She had never seen him cry before. "What is it? You can tell me. I'm here." He felt her hand rest on top of his wrist before she tugged it off of his face, and Sasuke opened his mismatched eyes, the image of her swimming in his view. "Oh," she breathed, raising a hand to place it tenderly on his face and she began brushing away tears with slender fingertips. He could barely handle the tone of her voice. He didn't deserve her compassion. "Please tell me. What's wrong?"

"K-Kakashi was just here, and...," Sasuke began, his voice cracking. "Itachi, and the war, and just, I messed up. I messed up so bad. I'm so sorry, I'm so truly sorry," he was all he could forcefully choke out before the sobs began once more, and fresh tears welled up and rolled down either sides of his face, disappearing into his pillow and his hair underneath him.

"Oh, Sasuke," was all the pink haired kunoichi could say before she tugged him upright into a sitting positon and wrapped both of her arms around him as tight as she could. He knew she couldn't make heads or tails of the words he just spoke, but maybe she might get an idea of what he felt or what he was dealing with. Sasuke willingly let his face drop onto her shoulder and into her neck, unable to control his weeping, knowing his tears were soaking her shirt and streaking down her neck.

Sakura just soothed him gently, running her fingers through his hair, and rubbing his back, whispering soft words of reassurance. After all, Sakura had never seen him like this. It was the first time she had seen him completey fall apart, and he knew this, but he couldn't help it. For now, he'd just let himself cry until he didn't have anything left in him. Later, he could talk to Sakura about everything, but for now, he could at least take comfort in the fact that she forgave him, and he was there for him when he needed her, and he knew that just from this gentle gesture of comfort, that she still loved him, after all of this time, no matter what. That alone was good enough for Sasuke Uchiha.


End file.
